Garden bench prompts memories for Kenneth Branagh

2nd August 2012

Actor and filmmaker Sir Kenneth Brannagh has revealed why he keeps a "terrible" bench in his garden, despite being unable to sit on it.

The Northern Irish star said the bench is not safe to use as a seat, but it reminds him of his late father, who was an expert craftsman. Sir Kenneth made it over three months and it has sat at a "rakish" angle in his garden ever since, according to femalefirst.co.uk.

He said: "It's one of the things my wife chooses to illuminate our family life by indicating my utter uselessness as a practical man of the house. So every time I look at that bench, I see my dad laughing, and I never try and straighten the bench."

The 51-year-old said he would have been proud to have been a craftsman, like his father, but feels like a "liability" when it comes to DIY. His memorial to his father could inspire others to install poignant items in their back yards or perhaps even garden art studios.

Sir Kenneth received his knighthood this summer and will be formally knighted later this year. According to telegraph.co.uk, he said that his deceased parents "up in that great green room in the sky" would be very proud of his award.

When making his garden bench, the actor's father showed him how to saw but refused to actually help him make the furniture, as he wanted his son to learn how to do it.

Paul Smithson